A technical dictionary of printmaking, André Béguin.
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printing a plate
This last step in the making of a line engraving can be broken down into four separate phases: dampening and preparing the paper, inking the plate, wiping the plate before printing and, finally, the printing itself. One may add to these four steps a fifth one, drying, since this is also important for the successful a completion of a print.
The paper used in printing line engravings must be damp and supple so that it can penetrate even the finest lines [dampening, paper]. The sheets of paper must be dampened and piled up next a to the printing press so that they keep their humidity. Next to the sheets of paper there should be a gripper with which the printer can pick up the paper without dirtying it. Grippers are handy because the printer usually has some ink on his hands when printing. A brush should. also be nearby with which he can brush dust and other particles off the paper to be printed on. Insofar as dampening the paper is concerned it is also possible to leave the paper in water and take it out, sheet by sheet, five minutes before printing. In this case the excess water must be removed with absorbant paper. Brushing should then be done just before printing.
The plate should be slightly warmed on a heater and then inked with a dabber. Make sure that the ink penetrates the lines. The ink used in intaglio printing is quite thick and each printer must prepare it according to his own taste by adding a bit of oil and working the ink-on a marble slab [ink, oil].
Wiping is the next step and quite a delicate one at that. Its goal is to clean the plate surface perfectly In the areas between the lines. These areas must print perfectly white since any trace of ink will destroy the contrast between blacks and whites. Contrast is one of the essential traits of line engraving as this technique is characterized by its precision. Line engravings are usually wiped totally clean on the surface as opposed to the more "picturesque" effects often sought after in etchings. Usually the impression a of a line engraving is perfectly faithful to the lines and white areas of the plate. The French call such impressions epreuve nature (natural impression, see proof ) if the blacks and whites of the impression correspond exactly to those on the plate. Clean wipings were standard practice in the classical era of line engraving. In order to achieve a totally clean wiping the first step is to wipe the inked plate surface with a ball of tarlatan which has been crumpled a bit so as to lose its stifness. This first wiping will remove most of the superflous ink and since the tarlatan is relatively stiff it will not penetrate the lines and remove the ink there. When wiping push the ink towards the edges of the plate so that the cloth will not catch on any corners. This first wiping will equalize the amount of ink on the plate surface that so no line will remain empty as this would result in a white or blind printing.
The second wiping must also be carried out with a ball of tarlatan. The drawing on the plate should begin to appear in the course of this second wiping and the white areas should begin to become apparent.
A third wiping, with yet another ball will complete the wiping of the plate. When a tarlatan ball becomes too dirty for one of the three wipings it may be used for the previous one except of course, the first one which must be thrown away when it is too dirty for use.
However, if one stopped wiping at this stage (after three wipings) the impression would be far from satisfactory. In fact, no matter how clean - the third tarlatan ball may be and no matter how well the wiping was done there will still be traces of ink where there should be none. In the past these traces of ink were removed with the palm of the hand. The printer would wipe his hands, which were dusted with some whiting, on his leather apron each time some ink was removed. The technique is called palming or paumage and requires a certain amount of practice since one judges by whether the palm is touching the plate in the right place or not. The plate should be placed so that light is reflected off its surface so that the last specks of ink can be seen and removed by hand. The wiping of the plate surface can then be completed by wiping the sides and back of the plate making sure that this last wiping does not extend to the image area.
This last wiping may be done with a clean rag soaked in a weak solution of either potassium or soda [attacking agents]. Wiping the edges is important as it ensures that the impression will be clean all over.
The wiping of small plates is done by holding the plate in one's hand. Larger plates are either lain on a flat surface or are held so that they rest against the printer's torso.
The wiping that has just been described is sometimes followed by a further step added by some printers who like to add a bit of nuance to their work. This step consists in pulling a piece of gauze lightly over the plate so as to drag a slight amount of ink out of the lines. The practitioners of this technique prefer the veiled look thus achieved to the precision of a clean wiped plate. The technique in question is known under a variety of names. It is called dragging up, dragging out, and just dragging or else it goes under the french term retroussage. However, this technique is not used often as it is felt that it not only goes against the spirit of line engraving but also makes for uneven impressions. Quite obviously it is almost impossible to achieve the same retroussage at every impression and because of this each impression is slightly different from the preceding one.
After wiping, the plate is ready to be laid on the press bed. The exact placing of the plate and the sheet of paper must be worked out ahead of time so that the margins will be equal all over. The sheet of paper is then dried with blotting paper and is brushed, after which it may be laid on the plate. The next step is to lay the blanckets or felts in place [blanket]. Finally pass everything through the press making sure that the bed moves through the press in an even and regular manner.
The plate will be pushed into the soft paper due to the pressure that is exercised by the press thus forming what is called a plate mark. This characteristic mark is to be found on all taille-douce impressions. When the printing is completed the sheet of paper should be lifted cautiously. If the work was carried out properly the lines will be clean and precisely printed and they will stand out slightly (they will be a little in relief) so that the thickest lines can even be felt when touched with a finger tip.
Now the impression must be put away to be dried. Drying is done by covering the impression with a sheet of tissue paper and leaving it out for at least twelve hours before putting it away [drying ].
1. LINE ENGRAVING
4. PRINTING A LINE ENGRAVING (top of this page)
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